Professional vs Personal
by Copper's Mama
Summary: Sam/Andy fic. "Professionally? Yeah, tonight was a bit of a letdown. But personally? ... I guess I can't really say I'm very upset about the fact that you aren't too convincing as a prostitute." Takes place at the end of ep. 4. Please read and review!


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_A Sam/Andy fic. _

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_Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Rookie Blue. We can all dream, but at the end of the day, that's all it is. _

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_A/N: Alrighty, here's another one from episode 4: "Signals Crossed". Just a little thing that I decided to add to the ending, with my own Sam/Andy agenda. _

_I'm so happy you guys have liked my other fics so far, you're encouragement pushes me on._

_I hope you guys like this, I know I'll love writing it. _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! _

...

He found her in the locker room after her shift, having changed back into her normal clothes. He wanted to talk to her without anyone else around, so he was happy that Peck and Nash had already left.

Sam stepped further into the locker room, seeing her sorting through the items in her bag. "Hey," he greeted softly.

Andy glanced up, seeing him standing a few feet away from her. The last time she'd seen him, he'd called her out on the stupid - _stupid _- decision to let Sadie go into the building. "Hey," she replied, looking back down at her bag.

Sam sighed, his foot toying with the edge of the bench by the lockers. "You okay?"

Andy shrugged. "I'll be fine."

He stared pointedly at her. "You sure about that?"

She groaned, dropping her bag down onto the bench. "You know, I'm trying here. I really am. I wish I was a better liar, I wish that I could be more convincing as a hooker, I wish that I could talk all sexy, and have guys believe that I want them to pay me for sex! I wish that I hadn't wanted Boyko's approval _so badly_ that I let Sadie go in there! I wish that I didn't keep screwing up in front of you, but apparently that's just my destiny! So, no. I'm not _sure_ that I'm okay. I'm not at all okay, but since I _am_ sure that you don't want to stand here and listen to me rant and whine about all this, my answer will just have to be: 'I'll be fine'." She finished with a huff, dropping her head down so that her hair would hide her face from him.

Sam pursed his lips, idly scratching the back of his neck. He wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that.

After about a minute of silence, Andy pulled her hair back out of her face, sliding her bag onto one shoulder. "I'm, uh ... sorry, sir. It's been a long night. I'll just ... goodnight, sir."

She began to walk past him, but Sam held her back with his hand. "Look, it's my responsibility to teach you, McNally. To make you a better cop. To prepare you for these situations. If you screw up, it's not just my responsibility; it's my fault."

Andy shook her head at that. "No, this wasn't you, these were my mistakes."

Sam sighed, staring her down. "Okay, we can argue about this all day, McNally. How about we both just agree to do better from now on?"

Andy chewed her bottom lip, her eyes remaining fixed on the floor. When she finally looked up at him, she couldn't help but nod. "Okay."

Sam nodded his head. He held his hand out for her to shake, reminding both of them of that night outside the bar. "Deal?"

She accepted his outstretched hand after a moment, feeling his larger one closer over hers. "Deal."

"Good. So, from now on, if you have any questions, any doubts ... just ask me. I mean, that's what I'm here for. I won't call you out on it, I won't try to make you feel like an idiot for asking," he told her.

Andy arched her eyebrow at that.

Sam relented, "Okay, so I may have my moments, but I'll keep it low-key. Fair enough?"

She struggled to hold back her grin, but it slipped through eventually. She nodded her head. "Fair enough."

"Alright." He looked her over, specifically at the running shoes she had put on in place of her boots. _And quite the boots they were_. "You need a ride?"

Andy thought about declining. She'd just wanted to go for a long walk and think ... but that was before he'd come into the locker room. "Sure," she answered.

It was at this point that he realized that their hands were still joined. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, but then decided to just bypass any explanations. He grabbed for her bag, sliding it off of her shoulder. "Here, I'll take that," he told her, taking it with the hand which had previously been holding hers.

"It's okay," Andy replied, her digits still tingling slightly. "I can get it."

Sam shook his head, walking out of the locker room before she could argue anymore.

They made their way out to the parking lot, angling towards his car. Andy found herself getting lost in her thoughts, thinking over the evening. She still wished that she could have done better ... she was just so stiff.

Sam could tell what she was thinking about, and came up with another way to try and make her feel less horrible about her shift. "You know, it wasn't so bad."

Andy raised her eyebrows, clearly not believing him.

"Okay, well, professionally? Yeah, tonight was a bit of a letdown. But, personally? ... I guess I can't really say I'm very upset about the fact that you aren't too convincing as a prostitute." Sam let the words sink in, considering the double meaning. He half-hoped that she didn't catch it.

Andy paused by the car, glancing over at him. He had been acting strange around her lately, and she wasn't too sure what to make of it. She had an inkling, but ... _no, shouldn't go there. _"Well ... I'll take that as a compliment," she stated finally.

Sam grinned. "Good."

...

After her probation was over, and Andy was assigned a permanent partner, she sat at the Black Penny, toasting their success with her friends. She almost couldn't believe that she'd actually made it through, but there she was. No longer a rookie. A regular, everyday, certified police officer.

Glancing at the bar, her eyes flickered towards one person in particular. He'd kept to his promise, helping her out as often as he could. Sometimes it was just a clarification that she needed, other times she needed his advice when making a judgment call. Looking back, Andy realized that he'd never flat-out told her what to do, what choice to make. He'd always helped her find her own way, helped her see the right path to take.

She wondered if she would have made it through her probation at 15th without him being her training officer.

He caught her looking at him, smiling back at her. She was no longer his rookie, and she wasn't his partner either. Boyko had asked him if he wanted her to be placed with him, and it had been a hard choice. On the one hand, she would have made a great partner, and he trusted her completely - no easy task. But on the other hand, there were certain ... limitations that would be placed on their relationship, should she become his partner.

He explained the situation - ambiguously - to Boyko, and the man had understood, placing her with another cop.

Now all that he had to do was figure out how to approach her about it.

It turned out that he didn't have to ... she came up to him.

"So, you drinking alone?" Andy wondered, fingering the barstool next to him.

He motioned for her to join him. "So, you made it."

Andy nodded with a smile. "Yeah. Thanks to you."

Sam shook his head. "No way. It was all you."

Andy shrugged her shoulders. "Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one."

He tipped his head in agreement, glancing over at the table she'd left. "So, what? Your friends are boring tonight?"

Andy shook her head in response. "No, I just wanted to come over and say hey."

He grinned back at her. "Well ... hey."

A moment passed where they just stared at each other, both wanting the other to make the first move.

"So, I guess you're not my training officer anymore, huh?" she began.

"Nope," Sam replied. "Definitely not."

"And that means ..." she trailed off, hoping that she wasn't barking up the wrong tree.

After a few seconds, Sam laid a couple bills on the bar, pushing them towards the bartender. "You need a ride home?"

"Yeah, I probably should," Andy agreed. She glanced back at the table, noticing Tracy smiling at her knowingly.

They made their way out of the bar, straight to Sam's car. Before they got in, however, Sam made his way around to her side. "Just so there's no misunderstandings ..." he spoke, and then a second later, he pressed his lips against hers.

Andy kissed him back, her hands sliding up to the back of his neck as he leaned her against the car.

A few minutes later, he pulled back. "All clear?"

Andy nodded with a hazy smile. "Definitely."

"Good," he replied, then made his way around to get into the car. All in all, things had worked out for the best. _And about to get better,_ Sam thought gleefully in his head, starting the engine. He enjoyed working with her on a professional basis, but he couldn't wait to pursue a more personal relationship with her.

...

_The end. _

_So, what did you guys think? Like it, hate it? _

_Reviews are appreciated, flame if you must, but constructive criticism is much more useful. _

_Until next time ...! _


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